....All Things Shining.

....Oh my soul. Let me be in you now. Look out through my eyes. Look out at the things you made. All things shining - these were the last lines from "The Thin Red Line". I still haven't been able to get over this movie. The lines of the movie still hover around in my head.

Well, things have been shining pretty well suddenly.
My project finally seems to be over :) Just gotta write down the proof now. That shouldn't be too bad coz u atleast know that u can finish it off, I mean u don't have to use more brains. Just the skill of writing.

It has been raining pretty heavily and surprisingly quite many trees are taking the fall. Plus the lamp-posts seem to be just pushing the mud down and giving way. Strange things. If u look at these lamp-posts and trees u'll get a kinda armageddon feeling.

5 movie reviews for u then.

1. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Starring Kate Winslet, Jim Carrey (no, this isn't a comedy), Kirsten Dunst (smallish role).
This movie is a kinda mix of Butterfly Effect and any romatic movie. The story is good due to the involvement of a psychological element. But this also drags the movie down coz u don't expect science in a love-story.
But, don't watch it for the plot. Watch it for two things. Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey.
Kate Winslet's opening sequence is just marvellous. I had this titanic image in my mind but I suddenly see this full_of_life girl jumping around the screen and she acted so very well. The second-half didn't have much scope for actying for anyone at all.
Now, I always believed that Jim Carrey can't pull off anything but comedy. I stand corrected.
This man just rocked in the movie. He plays a timid, serious person dealing with his rather miserable love life. He plays it so very perfectly. The scene in which he suddenly cries out in is car was just brilliant. It portrayed his helplessness so very well.
If u are a fan of either of the two, this is a must watch for u. Otherwise, if u haven't got much to do, u cud give this film a chance.

2.The Station Agent
This is an 80 minute movie which captures the life of a dwarf. It's not all pitiful and sad types. The movie majorly deals with nice people. Those who actually treat him as the person he is, and not his physical self. I won't say it is a moving kinda film but it sure does touch your heart on many occasions. Some scenes were just too funny and the director has done a good job at those scenes I can tell you.
The protagonist does a pretty neat job, but other than that, there are no powerful roles. The story revolves basically around 3 friends and all good of heart. So, its a pretty feel_nice movie. Though u cud do without a watch.

3. Dead Poets Society
The best of the 5 flicks that I am reviewing here. This one was terrific. No second thoughts. This one rocks big time. It stars Robin Williams and again I had this Jumanji image in my mind but again, I was corrected. Brilliant acting. He kinda underplayed and it was just awesome. He plays an English Professor at a big time institute but he would rather teach his students how to think freely than ask them to rote stuff. In some ways the film Mohabbatein was inspired by this but there's no romantic element in it. You'll go thru the first half of the film with feelings of nice_comedy, refreshing, good acting, innocent and nice_stuff movie.
But, then it darkens. I won't reveal it to you but it changes drastically. All those good ideas are put to the test and the ending just leaves u speachless. Very powerful. The second half was like a different movie altogether but at the end u realize that they are like two sides of the same coin. Great movie. I just don't wanna reveal anything to spoil ur viewing pleasure.

4. Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels
The best thing about the movie is that they didn't try to keep it serious. I actually enjoyed the funny (though criminal) sequences in the movie which were very very intelligently crafted. This is a total timepass movie and u won't regret one minute of ur time. The only reason it can't reach Dead Poet's Society is coz I rate films with a deep feeling much higher than those with "pure entertainment" value. This is a pure entertainer though the crime and killing might not appeal to all. The humor is just too intelligent. And then there's the british accent thruput the movie, which actually adds to the effect most of the times.
If u are thinking of watching this movie, u r on the right track mate.

5. Message In A Bottle
I first read the plot. It said that it was a movie about a lady finding a very depressing love letter in a bottle by the sea and her search for the writer. Seemed pretty much like the theme I write poems on :) So I thought lets give this film a chance. The two letters that she finds initially were very well written and I was enjoying the strong words. Then came the writer. I forget his name. I think Costner (the waterworld guy). Seriously, he fails to impress. But then, the problem was he just falls in love with this girl. At this point I totally lost it. I mean, it was too trivial. In one way he is shown as the guy who cud never part from his departed wife and the next scene he is romancing this girl who he doesn't even know. Boring.
So, I just forwarded the movie and saw the spoilers on the net. I realized that the last 10 minutes of the movie shifts away from the scene and I actually missed some real emotional sequence which wasn't the cliche type. The ending becomes too senti but it was done well. But then I can't watch a 2hr movie just for its last 10 mins. It has to keep u glued till those last 10 mins. This one fails miserably. Better stay away. Chances are you'll never hear about this movie, so u won't have to worry.

Adios then.

About Time

No, this isn't the name of another movie that I am gonna review :D
Well, I have been pretty lazy recently and have also been caught up in a few things.

I have been to Domino's twice in 4 days !! Now that's good !!
Yesterday night, we finally played cricket after about one week due to the rains. We played for 3 and a half hours staright - from 1 in the night to 4:30 in the morning :))

My work has been going pretty decently but I seem to have gotten stuck at the end :(
I am gonna go home soon and I hope the work finishes before that. It's soooo frustrating when u get stuck at the end :

So, finally, movies :D
I thought I'll see 6-7 in a row and post them together, but the last movie I saw was soooooo bad that I couldn't convince myself to see another movie so soon.
Let's start then
1. The Thin Red Line: shocker movie !! Hits u in the heart. No, it's not a romantic movie or anything. It's a war movie. Actually, its anti-war. Ppl have gone on to compare this with the likes of Saving Private Ryan even !!
But SPR and TTRL are totally different. The only similarity lies in the atmosphere of the two films - "war".
TTRL follows post-WW II sequences where US and Japan are locked in a fight for control over a part of an island that's captured by Japan and hence they hold the strategic points. US suffers heavy casualities during the war and the movie basically talks about the line between sanity and insanity. It shows ppl who are so totally changed by the war that they have lost all faith in mankind. But there are still a few who do believe in good, faith etc etc
If you look at the cast, you'll be fooled. It says .. George Clooney, John Trovolta, Sean Penn, Jim Caviezel, Adrien Brody so on so on. The first two names have just 2 minutes roles, and actually they fail to impress even in those 2 mins coz the others just smash thru !!
Sean Penn, as ever, rocks !! He's been shown as one who has lost faith in mankind.
Caviezel is his contrast, believing in good and hoping mankind will improve.
All the dialogues that these two have amongst themselves are worth remembering.
What makes the movie so special ??
It's the theme and the voice-runs at the back. For one, the photography is like a poem. Beautiful. U have got to see the movie to believe it. There are scenes in the middle that remind u of discovery channel but if u try to see the reason behind the director's choice of those shots, u'll b taken to a different level altogether.
The voice-runs that are the narrations of different characters to themselves runs in the background. The last few lines of the movie are still rocking thru my head, and it's been 4 days now !!
The lines are just too powerful and they question u in a way that will move and surprise u.
But I believe that not everyone will enjoy the movie. U got to understand the director and move to the level he takes u to.
Finds a place among the best films I have seen and to tell u the truth, SPR was brilliant in showing war. For me, TTRL is much above SPR. On a different level altogether.

2. Black Friday: No, this isn't a horror flick. It's based on Bombay riots. The main reason why I chose to see this movie was KK Menon. The actor is too solid and soon bcoming my bollywood fav. The movie depicts reality and is hence slightly raw in its core. Sad movie, nothing good about it, but the cast is quite good and gives a solid performance. If u like reality movies, this one is a must watch.

3. Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi: Again, KK Menon and again, a reality movie. No. I thought this was a reality types movie too. It starts off with rebellious Indian youth trying to voice against injustice. The movie says that it's about the emergency period. But looking back, it was nothing of that at all. It was a painful love story, very touching, yet not very fairy-tale like. It was a romantic movie set against the "Rising India" background where the youth's zeal is taking them away from their other personal dreams. It's a very different movie and without any main stage actors, it does far better than the commercial lot u'll see.
It's worth the two hours. Very different film.

4. Apocalypse Now: The movie that made me stop :D
Stupid movie is all I can say. They wanted to achieve something really good and they laid the foundation too. U re like dying to see what happens next. That feeling is made up very well. But then, it kinda gives up. The movie fails where it should have leaped and bounced. Marlon Brando's role was superb tho critics felt he wasn't very impressive. The movie has style but at most places, it is the usual nonsense stuff. The end tries to be "over your head" but fails miserably. One movie u better not watch.

Apart from that, I just finished the last mission of Project IGI 2 (It's a computer game). One helluva game this one.

That's from me.
Adios.

Sarkar, it's POWERFUL

Ram Gopal Verma is back with Sarkar, and believe me, he's back for good. It's a brilliant movie, and has a lot of RGV in it. In the very beginning RGV confesses that SARKAR is his tribute to "The Godfather". Comparing these movies would be foolishness. They are different bcoz they were made for different ppl.
But the movie starts and ends in a similar fashion, though the rest is RGV fashion.
It's a 2 hr flick, no songs, no nonsense.

First, the negatives.
Plot wasn't exactly exciting. It was all too Deja-Vu with movies like Company, D etc etc.
The part with Katrina Kaif was a sheer waste. Those 10-15 mins could have been used to a much better purpose.
It rarely happens that you feel a movie was short. But that's exactly what I felt when Sarkar came to an end. It was short. Another half hour would have been no pain at all. I really wanted to see more of the power that Sarkar possesses.

The goods.
Superb direction. Just excellent.
Neat and tidy dialogues and good settings too.
Excellent background score. Before the interval, I thought that it couldn't match the background score of Company, but after the interval, I stood corrected. Simple and brilliant background score.
Best of all, the acting. Seriously, mouth-watering stuff man !!
I'll go in order.
Amitabh Bachchan does (obviously) an excellent job and it seems that this man is just getting better and better, though there isn't much room for improvement :)
The problem was that his character wasn't loud enough. He had to underplay it. He does a great job though, but u are like just waiting for him to stand up and burst out, but his character in the movie doesn't allow that.
Abhishek Bachchan. Well, I would say it was his best performance to date, maybe only comparable to Yuva. Again, his character in the first half of the movie had nothing to offer, hence I won't blame him for the first half. In the second half, he rocks !! Seriously, I now finally feel that Abhishek Bachchan his here to stay. He still needs more hits, but with the power he displayed in Sarkar, he can sure look forward to some awesome offers.
Kay Kay. This guy literally steals the show from right under the noses of all the giants. His role doesn't go till the end of the movie but it is good enough. Good enough to tell u what a great performer he is. I saw him in Chhal before and felt he was just superb. But he does much much more than that in Sarkar. I know I might be saying too much here, but given the circumstances, his was the best performance of the entire movie. He just stole the show. Awesome work.

The movie has raw power and hence, might not appeal to all. It's about crime and power. Though not exactly like Company, Satya and D, it's not too far from them either.
The movie, in one word, is a powerhouse.

Goodfellas

I know, I know, I'm seeing too many movies but then, it ain't bad It's all good :D
This is a nice movie, great acting, but I'll stop at that. Bcoz I had already read a similar plot in "My Life In The Mafia" (http://home.iitk.ac.in/student/ganshul/My%20Life%20In%20The%20Mafia.htm), the plot didn't appeal too much. The acting sure was great, but I must admit I have a certain affinity towards Robert De Niro, so the rest of the cast didn't matter to me :)

I read once that this movie beats Godfather in its organised crime content. True, the organised crime was better shown here, but Godfather had style, style that none could match. That is what the movie lacked. Style.

Decent movie, but drags a bit too much. De Niro shoulda been givena lot neater and tidier footage. He didn't get any solid scenes. Liota was good, but not enough.

Overall, OK movie.

The Pianist

I know I have been seeing a lot of films lately but its as good as it lasts :)

The Pianist is a classic. No doubt it got all those accolades. The story is touching. It follows the life of a pianist (Brody) who lives in Poland and comes under attack along with his family for being a Jew during the 2nd WW. And this guy is no brave fighter who takes on all Germans single-handedly. Infact, the movie is not about his fight, its about his survival. The way he survives looks so very real, so hard-hitting. He goes through all sorts of things, running and hiding for months at a stretch. Lots of angles of war shown here, but the movie basically revolves around the pianist, someine who just couldn't ever part from himself. It shows that war can take away most things from you, but not everything. Even though this guy was practically down dead lucky to have survived, he never lost his passion for the piano, his hands moving in rhythm everytime he hears a tune, though he might be totaly famished and hiding in some cellar or behind boulders. The soul of the film is very strong. It leaves something on you. The movie is all about the 1939-1945 period and shows the German oppresion of Poland. Its a shcoker no doubt.
Leaves you bleeding from the heart.

Brody was superb, very natural. He held his own throughout the movie and never loses his class.
Sad movie, no doubt, but class.

Sin City

Just short of a perfect 10. This movie has all it takes to become the best barring the gruesome scenes and the brutality. Both these were essential to the film but they might not find appreciation with everyone. Clearly, not everyone's gonna digest this film, but those who can stand it, wil surely be happy that they watched the film. It's a huge one.

The movie is all about crime, bad people, murders, hitmen etc etc. That's the reason I feel most ppl won't digest the movie.
The movie is made in only 4 colors if I am right - black, white ( surely the gray shades are a part of B & W ), red and yellow. The way the movie is shot is nothing short of spell-binding. Excellent work. Every scene in the movie seems to be a comic-book snip. The movie is itself based on a comic book by the same name.

So, what makes it so big ?
You should ask what DOES NOT make it that big.
It's got Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke (this guy literally steals the show), Clive Owens (well, I never liked him much before this movie), Benicio Del Toro (My personal fav, but he lost out to Rourke becoz of his role), Jessica Alba (doing not much) and many more. The names don't matter. Its the characters that steal your heart. Superb characters, and each actor was like born that way. Mickey Rourke basically takes it all away, superb work. It was good to see this man back, doing what he does best. Act.

Every scene in the movie is so well worked on that you can't stop wondering as to how many ppl were used to make something so magnificient. The story is all fiction and all comic-book like. But that doesn't change anything. It is a raw film, quite gruesome, but if you miss this one, you are gonna miss a huge film of 2005.

Watch it for the cast and the characters. This is one movie you better not punish yourself to miss.